Corporate governance –transparent structures

Flughafen Zürich AG maintains a comprehensive risk management system covering all the company’s business divisions. The Board of Directors has oversight of risk management and may request Internal Audit to carry out audits of the risk management process.

The following principles apply to Flughafen Zürich AG as regards dealing with problems and risks:

• We are aware of the dangers that give rise to risks and therefore jeopardise the attainment of our corporate goals.
• We identify, evaluate and deal with dangers in all our operations at Zurich Airport, taking all our business divisions and relevant influencing factors into account. Risks from our international business are consolidated and viewed from the standpoint of their impact on the parent company. Our subsidiaries are therefore obliged to set up their own risk management systems to provide comprehensive and timely reporting to the parent company, and to monitor them in accordance with the oversight function of the relevant bodies. 
• We evaluate risks both qualitatively and quantitatively wherever possible.
• We choose the most cost-effective method of risk handling available to us (e.g. insurance, prevention) and are willing to bear certain risks ourselves, for instance if the cost/benefit ratio is unfavourable. 
• We actively involve our business partners in managing risks. When transferring risks, we consider our own risk-bearing capacity and that of our business partner.

As risk owners, division heads are responsible for dealing with risks that arise solely or predominantly in their division.

• Risk management in the Integrated Report

As well as compliance with statutory requirements, adherence to the company’s code of conduct and all internal rules and ethical principles is of utmost importance to Flughafen Zürich AG as documented in its compliance policy. Through compliance management the company ensures that all structures, measures, information, risk evaluation, checks and control mechanisms are aligned with each other and function as intended. All managers are responsible for ensuring that they and the employees they supervise are familiar with the applicable laws and directives and remain informed of changes which affect their work.

Each and every individual employee is responsible for compliance within their sphere of responsibility and for reporting any instances of non-compliance. Line managers ensure that external and internal rules are followed.

A broadly based Compliance Steering unit with members from various divisions and headed by the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for oversight. The CFO also leads a suitably organised Risk Management & Compliance department to collate, evaluate and disseminate compliance-relevant materials.